Still images must be submitted as JPG files with the longest side having a dimension no greater than 4,950 pixels in Adobe 1998 colour space, and no larger than 5Mb file size.
- Entries will be accepted only from Australian residents of the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories.
- There will be two sections of entry – General and Junior (18 or younger)
- There will be three categories of entry for the General Section; Portraying the night time environment featuring Land, Sea or Sky.
- The Junior Section is for photographers 18 years old or younger and will have one open category.
- All entries must be taken within the Northern Beaches LGA and must be taken between sunset and sunrise.
- Images can be taken at any time of the year on or after 1 September 2019.
- The top 5 images of each category will be judged by the organising committee and will be hung at the Studio, Careel Bay Marina for general public display.
- Photographers represented in the top 5 images of each category will be notified that they are in the top 20 images (15 September 17:00 AEST).
- There is a limit of six (6) entries per category per photographer.
- In the case of images with multiple authors, the instigator of the image will be considered to be the principal author and the one who “owns” the image. The principal author MUST have performed the majority of the work to produce the image. All authors MUST be identified and named in the entry form along with their contributions to the production of the image.
- Entries must be in digital form and will be accepted ONLY through submission via the dedicated website at:
https://afterdark.myphotoclub.com.au/ - To preserve anonymity, the submitted image files should not contain identifying metadata.
- For judging purposes, still images must be submitted as JPG files with the longest side having a dimension no greater than 4,950 pixels in Adobe 1998 colour space.
- All photographs must have been taken no more than 2 years before the closing date of entry.
- Entry fees are $20 for the first entry and $10 each subsequent entry. Fees should be paid by the PayPal gateway on the entry website. Credit and debit cards can be used on this gateway.
- If entry payments are not received by the deadline, then the submitted entries will not be accepted for judging.
- Photographers of the top 20 images (5 in each category) will be notified 15 September and images printed, framed and hung by the organising. Artists may choose to pay $55 for this service to be undertaken on their part or undertake printing and framing at their own cost. Images must be ready for hanging 17:00 (AEST) 29 September 2021.
- Images will be listed on sale during the exhibition at the artist’s discretion. $100 of the sale will be donated to the charity the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance.
- Winners for the Land Scape, Sea Scape, Sky Scape and Youth entry will be announced Thursday 30th September 2021.
- People’s choice will confirmed by popular vote throughout the exhibition and will be announced on Saturday 30 October, 2021.
- Submissions close at 24:00 (AEST) on Wednesday, 1 September 2021. No entries will be accepted past this date.
- All winners should make an effort to attend the presentation of the awards on 30 September 2021
- The winning entries will be exhibited for the entire Exhibition After Dark, at the Studio, Careel Bay Marina between 30 September and 2 November, 2021.
- Permission to reproduce entries for publication to promote the competition and exhibitions and dark sky-related events and activities on the northern beaches will be assumed as a condition of entry. The copyright of the image remains with the author, and we will try to ensure that the author is credited where the image is used.
- All entries must be true images, faithfully reflecting and maintaining the integrity of the subject. Entries made up of composite images taken at different times and/or at different locations and/or with different cameras will not be accepted. Image manipulations that produce works that are more “digital art” than true astronomical images, will be deemed ineligible. If there is any doubt about the acceptability of an entry, then the competition organisers should be contacted, before the entry is submitted, for adjudication on the matter at the following email address: marnie@darkskytraveller.com.au
- If after the judging process, an image is subsequently determined to have violated the letter and/or the spirit of the rules, then that image will be disqualified. Any prizes consequently awarded for that image must be returned to the competition organisers.
- The competition judges reserve the right to reject any entry that, in the opinion of the judges, does not meet the conditions of entry or is unsuitable for public display. The judges’ decisions will be final.
- Submission of an entry implies acceptance of all the conditions of entry and the decisions of the competition judges.
Key Dates
- Entries Open: 24:00 (AEST) Sunday, 11 July 2021
- Entries Close: 24:00 (AEST) Wednesday, 1 September 2021
- Top 20 announced: 17:00 Wednesday, 15 September 2021
- Photography bump in: Midday Wednesday 29 September 2021
- Exhibition Launch and Presentation of Awards: Thursday 30 September 2021
- Bump out – 2 November 2021
Prizes
The Overall Winner: To be judged by David Malin, Fred Watson
Category Winner: An image deemed to be the best in that category as judged by the judging panel.
“The People’s Choice”: This will be judged by gathering votes obtained in the exhibition venue, and online.
There will be three categories of entry for the General section;
- Land – capturing manmade and/or natural formations, wildlife, flora or fauna associated with the night
- Sea – capturing waterways, beaches, or marine areas, sea life associated with the night.
- Sky – capturing aspects of the night sky, moon, stars capes, clouds or wildlife associated with the night sky.
There is a limit of six (6) entries per category per photographer.
All entries must be taken within the Northern Beaches LGA.
The Junior Section is for photographers 18 years old or younger and feature any one of the categories
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